I was flipping through a few old issues of The Numismatic Scrapbook recently, and came upon a small piece in the December, 1961 issue that made me pine for the good ol’ days (even if they were days that took place before I was born!). 

As I scanned the "Organization News" section of the magazine, I noticed that an organization going by the name North Carolina Coin Clubs (forerunner of the NCNA?) had just completed its third annual convention. The show’s bourse included 30 dealers from the Eastern U.S. and Canada, and featured two auction sessions. The daily door prize for each of the show’s three days was a $5.00 gold coin! John J. Pittman was the featured speaker at the convention, and spoke on "Coin Collecting Trends of the 20th Century." Not too bad for a three-year old organization! 

As a collector who enjoys exhibiting, I searched the article for descriptions of exhibits presented at the convention. There appears to have been quite a battle for "Best of Show" among the collectors who prepared exhibits for the convention. Among the items displayed were a 1913 Liberty Head nickel, complete sets of dimes, nickels, and three cent pieces (both nickel and silver), a complete set of commemorative gold coins, a complete set of $10.00 gold pieces, and complete sets of Charlotte, Dahlonega, and Bechtler gold. Wow! And if a list like that doesn’t get your numismatic juices flowing, how about this: all of them were displayed by one collector — George Walton of Charlotte, NC! Ol’ George won First Place in both the Silver Coins and Gold Coins categories, but, amazingly, he did not win "Best of Show." 

Dr. Conway Bolt took home the top honors from the show with his display of type and rare gold pieces dating from 1795 to 1834; the set included U.S. $4.00 and $50.00 coins among its rarities! Dr. Bolt’s exhibit also featured sets of Charlotte and Bechtler gold, as well as two cases of Mint errors.  

Upon reading this, a deep, deep feeling of humility filled my collecting soul. 

At the recent NCNA show, I won First Place for my display of "Silver Dollar Commemoratives of Canada - 1935 to 1998." It was a nice exhibit, and it took me quite a few hours to prepare. It represented about two years of collecting pursuit, and was something I definitely took pride in — it is actually the first complete set of coins I have ever put together! Unfortunately, when I compare it to just about any of the displays presented by Mr. George Walton or Dr. Conway Bolt, I shudder to think how far back in the pack I would have finished if we had gone head to head at the 1998 show!  

But that was then, and this is now — the age when only the most well-heeled of collectors from the Tar Heel state (sorry State and Duke fans) could hope to put together such incredible exhibits. For example, from discussions about Charlotte gold that I’ve had with David Boitnott, and from what I’ve read about the upcoming auction of sets of Charlotte and Dahlonega gold by Heritage, if a collector were to set out today to build a complete set of Charlotte gold, it could very well cost them over $1,000,000 for a high grade set. The key to the set, and a coin that truly rates an "uncollectable" designation, is the 1849-C Open Wreath one dollar gold piece. One of only four known is set to be auctioned by Heritage at FUN in January, and many expect the high-end piece to be hammered down at over $1,000,000! Now add in the 1913 nickel at $1.5 million, a nice Dahlonega set at a million or so, and a present day exhibit to match George Walton would cost you the better part of $4,000,000! 

So, until my pockets get deep enough to spend with the "big boys," I’ll continue to assemble my relatively inexpensive sets of U.S. and Canadian commemorative coins and medals, display them when I can, talk about them with whomever wants to listen, and enjoy them each time I take them out and look them over. I’ll likely never own a million dollar coin, but, to me, the coins in my collection are just as much fun! (And I’m not afraid to hold any of ‘em!) 

Until next month, Happy Collecting!

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